Pixelated Vehicle Lighting for Road Sign Glare Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle lighting systems that switch to non-glare beams to avoid dazzling road signs reduce overall road illumination, impairing visibility and hindering camera-based driving assistance functions.
Innovation Solution
A method for controlling a pixelated lighting system that selectively adjusts light intensity around detected road signs based on the vehicle's approach time, using a sensor system to estimate passing duration and control elementary light sources to create a lower intensity zone near the sign.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the lighting system switches to a non-glare beam to avoid dazzling the driver with retroreflected light from road signs, then driver comfort is improved, but road illumination and sign visibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system applies different illumination qualities to different spatial zones: a first light beam with high intensity illuminates the general road area, while a second light beam with reduced intensity specifically targets the road sign area. This local differentiation allows the sign to be visible without generating excessive retroreflected glare for the driver.
Solution Approach 2:
The lighting system segments the illumination into multiple independent light beams with distinct characteristics. The first beam covers the broad road area for general visibility, while the second beam is specifically directed at the road sign. This segmentation enables independent control of illumination intensity in different zones to simultaneously achieve sign visibility and glare reduction.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the lighting system reduces light intensity near road signs to prevent glare, then driver comfort is improved, but camera-based driving assistance functions are impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The lighting system provides localized high-intensity illumination specifically on road signs through the second light beam, ensuring sufficient light for camera-based driving assistance functions to read and recognize signs, while the overall lighting intensity is managed to prevent driver glare from retroreflected light.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination is segmented into a first beam for general road lighting and a second beam specifically targeted at road signs. This segmentation ensures that cameras receive adequate reflected light from signs for reliable reading, while the overall lighting configuration maintains driver comfort by controlling glare-prone areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling a lighting system of a motor vehicle, the lighting system with a plurality of elementary light sources each selectively controllable in order to emit an elementary light beam, the method includes detecting a road sign by a sensor system of the motor vehicle; estimating a passing duration between the instant the road sign is detected and a future instant at which the motor vehicle will pass the detected road sign; controlling the elementary light sources of the lighting system of the host vehicle in order to emit a pixelated light beam, with a portion of the elementary light sources being controlled, as a function of the passing duration, in order to generate a lower intensity zone extending in the vicinity of the road sign.